Why I Love You
by Chris000
Summary: A one-shot taking place near the end of another book I wrote called Warpath. Love is a force that can cross species, be they Human, Mobian, or anything else in the universe. It is an unbreakable bond that can span species, and a gift to be treasured.


Why I Love You

Chris000

The room was dark, lit only be the stars gently passing by. Chris was lulled by the soft rumbing of the ship's engines. The _Phoenix_ had been lost for some time now, but the men and women aboard this fine ship were trying to find their way home since the dissapearence in 3235. It almost three years later, and no avail. Chris closed his eyes, thinking he was never going to see Earth or even Mobius again. The Marine tried to remember his home, but bits and pieces were missing now. It was scaring him, so he attempted to push it out of his mind. He was wearing a T-shirt and pants in his bed, but he felt cold, as if interstellar space had grabbed him and wrapped him in its embrace. He didn't like being cold. He liked warm. New York was warm. His shivering woke the person lying next to him. Sally Alicia Acorn blinked once, and then opened her eyes.

"Hey," she said. "what's up?"

Chris didn't answer at first, just staring at the ceiling. He rustled his hair and said, "I'm just thinking about home."

Sally stretched. "Well, we're _all _thinking about home, but it looks like that's going to take some time though, right?"

"I want to go home." He said simply.

Sally couldn't argue with that. She wanted to go home too. She wanted to see her parents again. She remembered the pain of not being able to see them after they were dragged out from this world. She realized with a shock that she couldn only hold onto a vague image. She realized, she was starting to forget what they looked like. It made her place a hand on his shoulder and grip hard.

"I miss them."

"I know." Chris assured and kissed her once on the cheek. Then, something that had been on Chris' mind for a little while forced its way to the surface. "Sally, why did you choose me?"

That took her aback. The princess' brow furrowed in thought. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you pick me, Sal? Before we arrived, you were in love with Sonic. What happened?"

Sally sat up, trying to remember that day almost four years ago when everything changed forever. "I _was _in love with Sonic. He was someone I couldn't compare anybody to. He was almost god-like."

"Lofty discription." Chris commented.

"When the Humans arrived on the scene, I was shocked. I really was. Humans were only the stuff of legends, fairy tales. Some people spoke of Humans like knights in shining armor. Some made them into monsters that hid under beds, snatching children to eat. Sonic thought that you would destroy our planet, take resources, and make it into what we thought was Earth. Just a wasteland."

"But Sonic was only trying to protect you. We aren't knights."

"I know, but you aren't monster either!" Sally said looking at him. "You're a person."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. You know, for all his glamor and his charm, Sonic was a glory hog. He always jumped at an opportunity, trying to be the hero. You see, that's the thing I've seen in you, Christopher. You aren't afraid to admit that you are wrong. You've been wrong before, wrong about many things. You were wrong about me being a brat, wrong to think that I didn't care about you or your men, wrong to think that I was just a princess-"

"I know! I know! I was wrong."

"-and that's important! You admitted it! You also never tried to take glory, you were always on the sidelines. Underappreciated for your actions. You never tried to say you did it, but you gave the credit to others. You actually helped their careers. You've had to deal with loss. Your friends, your parents, and everyone since, but you packed up your life and moved on."

"I know, and I-"

"You're a killer though Christopher. Your job is to end lives of other creatures over political disputes. When's the last time you've needed to repel an alien race?"

He didn't have an answer for that one.

"Sonic never, _never_ killed anybody. He always tried to avoid it. The best course of action was shooting it with you."

"I think we're going in the opposite of our intended conversation here-"

"Please, it's important!" She waited for silence. "You also learned the value of a life, and how to protect lives."

Chris actually got out of the bed and paced around the cabin. "I've lost so many people. My judgement sent them to their graves. I _am _a monster. My misjudgement killed these men. I'm a murderer. I...I don't know how you can love me at all."

He paused in front of a window, looking out into space.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Sally said walking next to him. "I don't love you for what you do, I love you for who you are." She clapsed his hand and rubbed his shoulder. The Captain stared on. "You know Amy used to cry herself to sleep every night? She was so in love with Sonic, but he wouldn't ever talk to her. She was seeing a councilor for almost five months before you arrived. She was a wreck."

"She...she didn't seem like that when I was there."

Sally smiled softly. "Hmm...she's a sweet girl. I think Sonic could have given her a chance. I mean, she may be fanatical, but she really loves him, you know."

"Yeah, I know." He rubbed the back of his head. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought the question up. I feel like a total moron."

"Chris, feeling like a moron is perfectly natural. I mean, you have your moments, but you're a sweet guy, you respect me not only as a royal, not only as a woman, but as a living being. You're a good man, a wonderful man whom I would always come to for help. You fight for something, you stayed in the military because you believed in something. I know you did. Call it a hunch, but I see something in you. Something wonderful is about to happen, and I want to be there with you when it happens. That's why I love you, Human."

"What about Sonic?"

"I still do love Sonic." She bit her lip. "It's just, he is so protective of Mobius, that he just can't see you not destroying the planet, stabbing us in the back eventually. I've seen what Humans have done, the good and bad. I place so much trust in you that I just can't see you as evil. You came to look for me. You spent two years looking for me, to say you were sorry! I...I...Thank you! Thank you so much!"

She fell into his arms and he caught her. She was sobbing into his chest. Chris shivered, but realized that she was telling the truth. He spent years of lis life seeking forgiveness for letting her distrust him, so a single tear came from his eye, but he wiped it away, macho man style. He kissed her head, and spoke softly to her, "You're right Sal. Something wonderful is about to happen."

She looked at him with her trademark curious look. "Oh?" She said still sniffling. "What's that?"

The Marine smiled. "Aw, you'll see. Just give it some time."

In a tight hug, Christopher James Vennettilli thought about how much a ring would cost.


End file.
